New cartoon on YouTube!

   This one is fairly crude, compared to the others. It was actually drawn a couple years ago as an experiment. Colors by Jim Ludwig (in the short itself), production by Mark Holmes. Link below.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhVpkyeODhA&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3oYTgsoBPnRCxnysbGGHAssUvegjpYqWIKqByxyCPqsBYdLWBrMtbrnV4

Crissy Carrots pinup from issue 1

Colors by Jim Ludwig

The first three covers...

Colors/edits by Jim Luwdig

Colors by Rusty Gilligan/edits by Jim Ludwig

Colors/edits by Jim Ludwig

In-progress color plate for issue 3.

Colors by Jim Ludwig

Simone Grace

Colors/letters by Jim Ludwig, for issue 2

   Simone Grace is KLOR-10's annie weather girl. Her long-term plans involve becoming one of C.B.I.P.'s annie glamor stars. Simone began entering beauty contests at an early age, and has several crowns to her name. She sought employment at KLOR as an actress in some of the locally-produced programming, but lacked the acting talent to hold a regular spot beyond a kiddie program called Mr. Sam's Treehouse, where she would pop in to help introduce cartoons and help with craft projects followed along by the kids at home. Her biggest chance came as the Princess of Venus in an episode of Space Avenger Ace Rocket, though her part was limited to being a briefly-seen kidnap victim who spent the majority of her scenes pretending to be in a trance. Her lasting fame at the station came when she was asked to fill in for KLOR's weather girl when the former holder of the slot left to get married. Simone has held the position for a few years, just waiting to be noticed by C.B.I.P. talent scouts.

Jim Ludwig in-progress Crissy Carrots cartoon color plates

Raw materials for a Crissy Carrots cartoon...

   God willing, it will mean an increase in readership. In any event, moving the characters into other mediums is desired and a cartoon short seems the obvious choice. The idea is to create a short with limited animation techniques, this to be posted as a YouTube video. Still early in the process at this point, but our "more limited than limited" animation technique we're calling STATIC-MATION, since all the movements must be made by the camera (thus following in the tradition of some early television cartoons). If it works out, this could mean cartoons featuring other characters from the franchise. We're starting with Crissy, as you can see. Stay tuned, gang...

colors by Jim Ludwig, edits by Daerick Gross Sr.

Crissy and Roger, newlyweds forever

A page for issue 3, colors/letters by Jim Ludwig

Daisy Poise

Color by Jim Ludwig

Doris Flowers

Color by Jim Ludwig

   Doris Abigail Flowers came to the attention of C.B.I.P. when talent scouts spotted the plucky chipmunk working as a Summer car hop in 1950. A native of Creek Bend, and daughter of a farm family boasting one of the biggest spreads in the county, Doris enjoys spending her time out doors and loves to swim. Though she didn't set out to be an actress, Doris takes her work seriously and tries to make as many public appearances as she is able to. The all-American girl found herself a hit in England, and C.B.I.P. honored a request for loan-out to a prominent British cartoon studio in 1956. This successful arrangement has had Doris periodically flying to England ever since, but her heart remains in the States.

Sugar Chestnut

Colors/letters by Jim Ludwig

   Sugar Chestnut came to acting when she took on small parts in cartoons starring her husband Henry Chestnut. She frequently played bunnies which caught the eye of Henry, and prompted an escalating series of disasters as he tried to make a good impression. Thanks to make-up, Sugar rarely looked the same from cartoon to cartoon, and once joked that during the series Henry had fallen in love with her 24 times. When Henry moved to C.B.I.P. in 1950, Sugar became one of the studio's glamor girls and was quickly assigned her own starring series. Sugar's cartoons were based more in domestic situations as she got caught up in scenarios depicting suburban life (at least three of her early shorts used the same theme of being locked out of her house while dressed only in her underwear). Although cast in her own series as single, Sugar refused to take off her wedding ring for the camera. This endeared her to fans and eventually the series was changed to depict her misadventures as a housewife. Henry, still starring in his own popular series of one-reelers, would play her on-screen husband in Sugar's cartoons (in which he was often mentioned, but seldom actually seen). Housewives are frequently depicted as being rather drab, something Sugar made a point to counter with her passionate, even sultry, persona. Sugar played her housewife character as romantic and flashy, something which won her as many female fans as it did male fans. Sugar maintains a reputation as one of the most glamorous of her peers, though her home life is fairly simple. Her greatest joy comes at the end of the day, when she and Henry return to their real suburban home. She has, on occasion, served as producer for some of the studio's feature films, thanks to her good eye for investments.

Louise Beaumont

Colors/letters by Jim Ludwig, for issue 2

   In the 1920's, before the rules of cartoons and their stars had really been established, there were a handful of glamor annies. The biggest such star was Louise Beaumont, the glamor girl of the annie flapper set. Her star was eventually eclipsed by Betty Boop, who was only pen and ink (some annie stars are flesh and blood actors, other strictly the creation of studio cartoonists). Louise eventually settled into domestic life and started a family, which came to include her grandaughter Wendy Marco. When Wendy became one of C.B.I.P.'s glamor annies in the 1950's, it got Louise to considering a comeback. After all, annies don't age normally so she could still play the kind of juvenile roles which made her a star back in her heyday. As the 50's saw a rebirth of interest in those roaring 20's, Louise felt her time was right to make the scene again. 

   Louise is partly inspired by a character of the same name featured in an episode of ALF. She also owes to Clara Bow.

Wendy Marco

Colors/letters by Jim Ludwig, for issue 1

   Wendy Marco came to C.B.I.P.'s attention when her photo was run in the high school newspaper. When the studio Boss saw the photo next to a publicity still of Minerva Mallen, he felt sure a new annie team was in the making. Wendy was hired to play sidekick to Minerva in one-reel cartoons, and the two became close friends off-screen as well. Wendy is the grand-daughter of 1920's annie star Louise Beaumont. She's niece to fur salesman Max Marco, and for a time Wendy served as the model seen cuddling mink coats in Max's television commercials (when she lost time to make these live TV spots, model Maxine Mink became the official face of Marco's Minks). A rather down-to-earth girl with simple tastes, Wendy doesn't call too much attention to herself. She remains a frequent presence at the movie studio, though, and often volunteers to fill numerous small jobs such as runner, coffee girl, wardrobe caddy, and script girl. Despite her humility, she's highly visible as a frequently employed model and actress and was the first girl to wear a Creek Bend Bikini on local television in 1956. She became the first girl to wear one on screen in early 1957, when she donned one of the small bathing suits for a cameo in a swimming pool scene for the Morton Duck cartoon Tomorrow Or Not.

Minerva Mallen

Colors by Jim Ludwig

   Minerva Mallen is C.B.I.P.'s second most popular annie glamor star, only slightly behind Daisy Poise in entertainment polls. Minerva didn't set out to be a movie star, or even an actress. It was her little sister who got the ball rolling by taking a photo of Minerva without her knowing it. With the popularity of C.B.I.P.'s new glamor approach during the War, Sis felt Minerva was a natural and sent the picture to the studio's publicity department. The studio immediately saw Minerva's potential and approached her with a long-term contract. Minerva, who proved a natural talent, received star billing in her very first cartoon: Every Day Till V-Day. Minerva quickly became a popular star and her first fan club was organized before the end of the year. The studio began experimenting with annie teams before War's end, but Minerva remained a solo star until 1947. It was that year the the studio Boss saw a photograph of Wendy Marco in the local high school newspaper. Setting a publicity shot of Minerva down next to it, the Boss felt Mallen and Marco would be a great team. The girls began making cartoons together and became fast friends off-screen as well. Minerva is sweet, and delights in comfortable fabrics. A prolific cook, her pizzas are famous throughout the county. Her signature bow, worn about her neck, was a bit of dressing she picked up as a child. It became a popular accessory with several annies who live in Creek Bend.

Trudy Kitten

Colors/letters by Jim Luwdig

   Trudy Kitten, like many annies, has worked at one time or another for just about every cartoon studio you can name, and has been acting since 1930. She was already in C.B. International's stable when the glamor approach was pioneered by Missy Mouse. Trudy was immediately chosen as the second such starlet to get the glamor treatment. Unsure the glamor cycle would last, Trudy continued to work for other studios until 1952, when she finally signed an exclusive contract with C.B.I.P. -which remains the only studio to ever give her star billing.

Missy Mouse

Colors by Jim Ludwig

   Missy Mouse was the first annie starlet in C.B.I.P.'s glamor stable. It was during the War that Missy took some cheesecake photos to send to her husband fighting in Italy. He loved the photos and shipped them back to Missy to keep them safe, but by mistake the envelope was mailed to C.B.I.P.'s publicity department. When the studio discovered that the pix were private, they were returned to Missy, but the shots inspired a new direction in the presentation of annies as glamor figures rather than typical cartoon actors. With her husband's permission, Missy was signed as the studio's first annie glamor starlet. The new direction proved a hit, particularly with G.I.'s and the studio even arranged with the War Department for Missy's cartoons to be sent to her husband's unit so he would be among the very first to see her new shorts. Her story is told in issue 2.

Doris Flowers color plates, issue 2

Colors/letters by Jim Ludwig